The Simpsons' most controversial moments of all time

The Simpsons' most controversial moments of all time - Most series wouldn't survive so many controversial moments throughout their run, but then again, most series are not 'The Simpsons.'
The show has never held back when it comes to potentially touchy subjects, and is still going as the greatest television phenomenon of all time.
So let's take a look back at some of TV's first family's most controversial moments.

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Stereotyping - In an episode that aired on April 8 2018, the series responded to the recent controversy surrounding the character Apu. In a conversation between Marge and Lisa, the topic of political correctness and changing opinions is addressed briefly. The character, Apu, has recently become the topic of debate, after the documentary 'The Problem With Apu' criticized the representation of people from the Indian subcontinent.

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Drugs - Homer is prescribed medicinal marijuana after being pecked in the eyes by crows in the episode 'Weekend at Burnsie's.' The network worried about the message the episode might send, but it aired without much controversy.

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Smoking - When Lisa joins a ballet class, she finds herself smoking to help herself perform.

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Crime - In the episode 'Day of the Jackanapes,' Bart is hypnotized into believing he must kill Krusty the Clown. According to Blasting News the episode was controversial enough that it didn't originally air in some places, including the UK.

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Same-sex marriage - In the 16th season, same-sex marriage was legalized in Springfield, sparking debate among the more conservative parts of society, as reported by ABC News.

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'Gay fear' - In the eighth season episode 'Homer's Phobia,' Homer is uncomfortable with the new family friend John, after discovering he is gay. He takes Bart hunting, for fear he might be turning gay too. The episode was controversial, and producers even discussed whether it should really air. It was well-received however, and the episode won an Emmy, as reported in The Telegraph.

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Violence - In the Simpsons/Family Guy crossover episode, Bart and Stewie make crank calls involving a rape joke, which was heavily criticized by The Hollywood Reporter.

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Animals - In a 2000 episode, a scene depicts a panda trying to mate with Homer dressed in a panda costume. The scene was criticized for the obvious reasons.

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Japan - Homer is frequently shown ignoring or being completely unaware of safety regulations in the Springfield nuclear power plant. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, the episodes were no longer shown in Japan.

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Japan - In the episode 'Marge Gets a Job,' Marie and Pierre Curie are turned into giant radioactive creatures, Godzilla-style. The episode was deemed insensitive in Japan following the 2011 nuclear disaster, and was no longer shown on air.

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Japan - Another episode involving Japan was 'Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo,' where the Simpson family suffer epileptic fits after watching a Japanese cartoon. This was a reference to a real incident, where an episode of 'Pokémon' caused seizures in hundreds of children, as reported by METRO.

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Argentina - In one episode, the characters make reference to forced disappearances under the Argentine dictatorship.

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Russia - During the Pokémon Go spoof, the Simpsons referenced an incident where a Russian man was facing a possible 10-year jail sentence for playing Pokémon Go in a Russian church. As reported in GAMERANT, the episode was banned in Russia.

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Brazil - In 2002, the Simpsons traveled to Rio de Janeiro. The streets were depicted as dirty, with wild monkeys roaming about. There is also a kidnapping, and suggestive scenes in the episode. The Brazilian tourist board protested how the country was depicted in the episode, according to The Guardian.

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Australia - The Simpsons' trips abroad really do not go down well. In the sixth season, the family visits Australia, where Bart is supposed to apologize for a prank. Australians weren't too happy with how the country was depicted, according to the Daily Mail.

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South Korea - One of the Simpsons' opening montages showed a Korean animation factory as a backbreaking torture factory. It was heavily criticized, as reported by The Guardian.

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Gun controversy - The Simpsons have also courted controversy in their native US. In 'The Cartridge Family,' Homer brings a gun in to the Simpson household. The topic is a touchy subject in the US.

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9/11 - An episode which was considered insensitive given the recent 9/11 terror attacks was taken off the air, despite the episode being written before the attacks.

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New Orleans - New Orleans weren't too happy with being referred to as a 'home of pirates, drunks, and whores' in the season four episode 'A Streetcar Named Marge.'

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New Orleans - In the following episode, the writers apologized in the chalkboard gag where Bart writes 'I Will Not Defame New Orleans.'

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The White House - In a 1992 speech while still president, George Bush Senior said that American families should aim to be 'more like the Waltons, and less like the Simpsons,' according to The Telegraph. They responded in the next episode, and in 1996 even had George Bush move in across the road. Needless to say the two families did not get along.

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Predicting Donald Trump - In an episode depicting the future, Lisa inherits the White House from Donald Trump. The episode was written 16 years before the tycoon became president, as reported in The Guardian. The picture shown here came after the election, however.

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Word Cup 2014 - The Simpsons visited Brazil again for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the episode, FIFA is shown to be deep in corruption scandals. Homer referees the final of the tournament and is bribed to throw the game.

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World Cup 2014 - Curiously, this episode previewed some events which really would take place at the 2014 World Cup: as METRO report, 'The Simpsons' depicted Neymar's injury and Brazil's defeat to Germany.

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Watershed - The series was edited and its showings limited to specific times by the governments of Ecuador and Venezuela.

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Unsuitable for children - According to La Tercera, the reason was that certain messages were unsuitable for children.

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Big screen - The Simpsons caused controversy on the big screen as well as on TV when their movie debuted.

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The Simpsons Movie - The controversial scene depicted a fully naked Bart, accepting a challenge from Homer.

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Success - Despite constantly being criticized for being controversial, 'The Simpsons' have a very dedicated fanbase, and will be remembered as one of TV's greatest ever series.

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